Burkina Faso: Multimedia Tools to Change Hygeine Behaviour

In Africa, according to an analysis of the hygiene and sanitation situation in 32 African countries (CMAE, ADB, World Bank, WSP, 2008), one hundred children die every hour of diarrhoea. Behaviour factors are often underestimated in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for water supply and sanitation. Regular use of latrines, for example, can reduce the risks of diarrhoea by 40%. Hand washing with soap after defecation reduces the risks by 50%. According to this analysis, the main challenge is poor hygiene practices. For example, in African countries, less than 20% of the people wash their hands with soap. In Burkina Faso, solar powered computers, digital cameras and projectors are being used in 20 remote villages to raise awareness over hygiene and help people adopt good practices. The NGO Sahel Solidarité, which has introduced the multi-media hygiene programmes with financial and technical support from the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), believes that their high tech approach is having a higher impact on hygiene awareness, compared to using of pictures on cards. The Sahel Solidarité office in Bokin has been equipped with an Internet connection, four computers powered by solar energy, five digital cameras and memory sticks, and portable projection equipment to organise multimedia sessions in remote villages. This project reinforces the communication capacities of local project staff of the NGO in order to inform villagers in the district of Bokin about hygiene and use of water. The introduction of multimedia tools has brought greater participation during the sessions. Pictures are more realistic than drawings on cards, and the screen allows those taking part to have a better view of images and creates a stronger sense of engagement. To avoid embarrassing people, hygienists always discuss the practice with them first and ask their permission to take a picture and show it to the community. The hygiene promoters live in the village and are trusted by the community.

Source: Water and Sanitation News Source Bulletin, September 2009